


The Magic In You

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arthur Pendragon Has Magic (Merlin), Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Good Morgana (Merlin), M/M, Magic Revealed, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-11-03 20:57:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20609681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Arthur discovers at a young age that there’s something different about him. He has magic. With magic punishable by death in Camelot, Arthur is forced to keep his magic a secret, afraid to ever speak of it and put himself and anyone that knows at risk. Until he meets Merlin and realizes that he’s not the only one with a secret. With the help of Merlin and Morgana he realizes the good in magic and works towards bringing peace to Camelot.





	The Magic In You

Arthur is only four the first time he notices there’s something different about him. He gets angry at his nursemaid Molly, and suddenly the plate she’s holding goes crashing into the wall. She stares at him in shock for a moment, before taking him into her arms. He remembers her telling him he needs to be careful, and that his father can never know. 

She helps him to learn to control his temper and his magic along with it. He discovers he’s not alone, and that she has magic as well. It’s through her that he learns not to fear his magic. That it can be a force of good, and isn’t bad like his father says it is. 

It’s all going well, until one afternoon shortly after Arthur turns 10. Arthur is brought into the throne room. It’s one of the first times his father has allowed him to watch as he passes judgement, as he so often calls it. Arthur’s confusion grows when he sees Molly being brought in, flanked by a pair of guards. She’s thrown onto her knees in front of his father. 

“You must be wondering why I had you brought here Arthur,” his father says. All Arthur can do is nod. “I think you’re finally old enough to learn a hard lesson. One that is important to learn early. And that’s about trust. This woman, she’s been in your service since you were young, correct?”

“Yes Father.”

“In that time did you ever see her practicing magic?”

Arthur thinks about all the times she guided him and helped him as he tried to understand his own magic. She warned him how dangerous what they were doing was, but said it was important he learned control. No matter the cost. She told him that one day she might have to leave him, and that he must never speak of what they were doing. For his own safety. 

It’s one of the first times he has to outright lie to his father.

“No Father.”

“She was good at hiding it then and at least never subjected you to seeing such hideous crimes,” his father says. He places a hand on Arthur’s shoulder, and turns to address Molly. “You’ve been brought here under the accusation of doing magic. There are witnesses to this crime. One man says he saw you using your magic to turn another villager into a frog. While another says you cursed her family.”

Arthur frowns. Neither of these things sound like anything Molly would do. He opens his mouth, but Molly meets his eyes. There’s a warning there that he has come to understand. He has to be careful.

“I never did these things, Your Majesty.”

“So you’re calling these people liars?”

“All I am saying is that I am innocent, my lord.”

“So you say,” Uther says. “But there is no way to prove your claim of innocence. And as you know, sorcery is banned from Camelot. And anyone that goes against that is to be punished in the highest regard. I have no choice but to sentence you to death. You shall be burned in the morning.”

Arthur wants to scream. He wants to fight and run to her. And tell his father he’s made a terrible mistake. But all he can do is stand frozen as the guards take her away.

It’s hours later when Arthur sneaks out of his chambers and down to the dungeons. He creeps along until he finds Molly’s cell. She’s sitting with her back to the wall and her head is down. He rushes forward and grabs the bars between his hands, looking in at her. “Molly.”

Her head lifts, and she looks at him with wide eyes as she gets to her feet. “Arthur? What are you doing down here?”

Arthur pulls the ring of keys from his belt and holds them up, “I’m here to rescue you.”

She shakes her head, “Arthur, you can’t. If your father were to find out…”

“I can’t let him kill you,” Arthur says. “It’s not fair. You haven’t done anything.”

_ Anything except use magic _, he thinks.

Arthur brings the key up and unlocks the door. For a moment, Molly holds it closed. But then she steps back, allowing him to open it. He sneaks her through the castle, and then out to the forest beyond the gates. 

They stop there, and he hands over a bag. “There’s food and water in here. And some gold. It should be enough to help you get away.”

She hugs him tightly, and presses a kiss to the top of his head. When she pulls back, it’s with a tearful smile as she brushes a hand through his hair. “You’re such a good boy, Arthur. Don’t let anything change that.”

“I won’t,” he promises.

“You take care of yourself, alright? Be safe. And be careful.”

“I will. I promise. You should go.”

He watches as she walks away, and then heads back to the castle. He’s just reached his room, and crawled into his bed when the bells sound, alerting everyone that a prisoner has escaped. Arthur has to hope she’s made it far away before they start searching the forest for her.

He’s in a good mood when he wakes up the next morning, and all through breakfast. He doesn’t even care that he has a new manservant. He rolls his eyes when he tries to talk with the man and all he does is give polite responses. It was going to take a little getting used to having someone new around, but he could do it. It’s worth it knowing that Molly is safe.

Arthur looks up from his meal when there’s a knock at the door. His servant answers it, speaking with someone before closing the door again and turning to Arthur. 

“Your father is requesting your presence, sire.”

Arthur nods. He has no doubt his father is wanting to question him about Molly’s escape. Which is why he’d planned ahead and snuck out through the servants entrance so no one would see him coming and going. 

His father looks happier than he was expecting when he enters the room. He smiles and beckons him forward. “I have excellent news Arthur.”

“Yes Father?”

“Your nursemaid escaped last night, but never fear. The knights were able to capture her, and she has been returned to her cell. Her execution is going to happen as scheduled.” He levels Arthur with a long look. “Isn’t it such a relief to know a dangerous criminal isn’t on the loose?”

Arthur fights to keep himself in check, even as he feels his magic swirling angrily inside him. He can’t let his father see he’s even the least bit affected by the news. Something tells Arthur he knows, but he can’t let it show.

“That is a relief indeed father,” Arthur says.

Uther nods, “I’m glad to hear we’re in agreement.”

Arthur feels like there’s a weight on his chest. He stands next to his father, watching as they tie Molly to the pyre. 

“I’m giving you one final chance to give up who helped you escape last night,” his father says. “Do that and you may be granted a quicker death.”

Molly doesn’t even look at Arthur. Her eyes stay on his father. There’s an anger there he hasn’t seen. “I had no help. I didn’t need it. But you do. Because if you’re not careful you’re going to lose the one thing you hold most dear.”

His father doesn’t react at all, except to wave his hand, signalling for the pyre to be lit. His father rests a hand firmly on his arm, and Arthur knows he’s watching him, making sure he doesn’t look away. He has no choice but to watch as the flames rise and start burning away at Molly’s clothes and charring her flesh. He knows it’s not something he’s going to forget. 

His father squeezes his shoulder when it’s all over, “Let this be a lesson to you, Arthur. You have be careful who you trust.”

It is a lesson. A hard one. One that sticks with him as he grows up. He rarely lets himself put his trust in anyone after that, but especially not his own father. 

* * *

**10 Years Later**

"You know this is wrong," Morgana says. She's standing by the window, looking out at where the pyre is being built. Arthur doesn't have to see her face to know she's frowning.

Arthur doesn't say anything. They both know she's right, but admitting that isn't going to help anything. 

"You can ignore me all you want Arthur Pendragon but that won't make my words any less true." When Arthur still doesn't respond she makes a noise of frustration before slamming her hand down on Arthur's desk. Arthur doesn't jump, only because he's used to Morgana's theatrics by now. "Damn it Arthur, stop acting as if this doesn't bother you."

"Of course it bothers me," Arthur finally snaps. "But I don't know what you expect me to do about it."

"Talk to him," Morgana pleads. "Make him see reason."

"There is no reasoning with him," Arthur sighs. "Not about this. You know that."

"Because he hasn't had anyone really go against him," Morgana says. "You're his son. He values your opinion. Maybe if you tried…"

It's Arthur that slams his hand down on the desk this time. He can feel his magic simmering beneath the surface, begging to be let out. He takes a deep breath to control himself. 

When he speaks, his voice is deadly calm. "Do you know what happened to my nursemaid?" 

When Morgana shakes her head, Arthur continues. "When I was ten years old my father found out she had magic. He didn't have any real proof, of course. All the accusations he had against her were lies. But that didn't stop him from having her locked up. I went to her that night and freed her, thinking she could at least get away. But she got caught. She was tied to the pyre and burned alive. It was the first time my father made me watch. I couldn't look away. Not while she screamed as the flames started crawling up her body and eating away at her flesh. Not even when she stopped struggling. I had to stand there and watch as she died. And when it was over all my father could say to me was that was a lesson on who I could trust. It was. Just not in the way he intended it."

Arthur sighs and runs a hand down his face. "I understand that you want to help them, Morgana. I do. But my father won't be moved on this. The best thing you can do is be far away from here when the pyre is lit."

"I can only imagine how upsetting that was for you," Morgana says, tone gentle. "Especially at such a young age. But…"

"No," Arthur says, cutting her off. "I will discuss this no further Morgana."

Morgana stays silent for a moment, no doubt weighing her options and wondering what her chances are of persuading Arthur. Finally, she sighs and turns to go.

"Uther might be the one killing these people, but their blood is on your hands as much as his."

Arthur doesn't react. Not until she's gone. Only then does he let his shoulders slump and his face to twist with the pain he never lets anyone else see. Pain he rarely even lets himself feel. 

Morgana's words get to him more than he'd like. He knows that's what she was hoping for. Wanting to pull at his conscious. 

She doesn't know that this is something he's struggled with since he was a child. Or how he learns the names of everyone his father executes for magic and makes a point of leaving money for their families. 

It's not near enough. He knows that. It's not going to bring back the person they lost, but it's all he can do. Or so he tells himself. 

When Arthur catches sight of the first hint of smoke he pulls out his quill and parchment and writes down the name before putting it away. 

Then he leaves the room, doing what he suggested Morgana do and putting himself as far away as he can from the burning pyre. 

He knows no matter how far he goes it will never be enough. He'll always be able to smell the smoke. To taste it. It's something that will never leave him. Not as long as these executions keep happening. 

He vows that when he's king these killings will end. He'll do better. Be better. And he'll never stop until he puts things right. 

When he's king no one will have to live in fear. At least that's what he tells himself. He knows he has a long road ahead of him, but he's determined to get there. He has to if he wants the kingdom to ever see peace.

Morgana doesn't come to dinner. Arthur isn't surprised. It's her way of letting his father know she doesn't approve. 

It's clear he doesn't care. He thinks Morgana is simply stubborn and will grow out of it. It never occurs to him that he's the one that needs to change.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been working on this for a while, and am excited to finally be posting this. Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day♥  
[My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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